Roughly halfway between Selinunte and the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, you’ll find Sciacca, a charming seafront town with an amphitheatre-like layout.
Wander through the town centre and you’ll discover medieval charm, baroque elegance and hints of an Arab casbah. You can admire captivating views or sip a coffee at an outdoor café, lingering without a care. You may find yourself climbing steep staircases, but the town’s appeal makes you forget the effort.
Famous for its thermal spas (sadly now closed), its Carnival and ceramic production, Sciacca is an excellent choice for a Sicilian holiday combining beach and culture.
Divided into three distinctly recognisable quarters, Sciacca is a picturesque town that bears the marks of the various populations who settled here throughout history: Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans and Franks.
The heart of town life is Piazza Scandaliato, a terrace overlooking the sea that serves as a popular meeting place for people of all ages. The town hall and the 18th-century Church of San Domenico, built over an earlier 16th-century church, face onto the square. The town’s cathedral, the Basilica of Maria Santissima del Soccorso, overlooks the adjacent square.
Other noteworthy palaces and monuments include:
One attraction you absolutely shouldn’t miss is the Castello Incantato at the foot of Mount Kronio, just a few kilometres from Sciacca’s centre.
It’s an original collection of figures sculpted from the rock by Filippo Bentivegna: an illiterate farmer who returned from the United States after seeking his fortune abroad, he was an “unconscious” artist who found in sculpture a way to express and sublimate his memories and inner torments. The sculpted figures represent the subjects of the imaginary kingdom of which Bentivegna believed himself to be the lord.
You’ll find a couple of quirky or interesting museums in Sciacca: while perhaps not worth the journey on their own, they’re perfect for a break from the beach or shelter on the rare rainy day.
Visit the Scaglione Museum to relive the atmosphere of bourgeois Sicily in the 19th century – a house turned museum according to the wishes of its owner, the cultured and curious Cavaliere Francesco Scaglione, who throughout his life collected 18th and 19th-century artworks, ceramics, ancient coins, candlesticks, watches and other valuable objects.
A wonderfully fragrant museum is the Soap House Museum, housed within a beautifully restored rural building. The guided tour traces the millennia-old history of soap and provides information on production techniques. At the end of the visit, you have the chance to try the handmade products created in the adjacent workshop.
The Toy Museum will delight visitors of all ages – a brief but entertaining journey through toy history, organised by decade. During the visit you’ll be accompanied by the owner, who will tell you anecdotes and interesting facts.
Sciacca is an excellent base for exploring the beauty of south-western Sicily. On a day trip you can visit the temples of Selinunte and the ruins of Heraclea Minoa or the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento.
For nature lovers, we recommend the Torre Salsa Nature Reserve, an unspoilt stretch of coastline where chalk cliffs alternate with calcareous marl and sand dunes, lush vegetation thrives and the sea is crystal clear.
Beautiful to see is the Inveges oleaster, a centuries-old tree that grows about 8 km from Sciacca. Be careful when collecting olives as local legend has it that you can only pick olives that have fallen to the ground – otherwise you’ll be struck by misfortune.
The healing properties of Sciacca’s thermal springs were known since ancient times, dating back to when Greek colonists settled here. Between 1928 and 1938, a massive thermal spa complex was built in Sciacca’s territory, becoming one of the most important of its kind in all of Sicily in terms of size and prestige.
The Sciacca thermal spa complex comprises five distinct facilities: Ancient Spas, New Spas, Molinelli Pools, San Calogero Steam Baths and the Sciaccamare hydrothermal complex.
Unfortunately, Sciacca’s thermal spas have been closed for several years with no indication of when they might reopen, and are now in a concerning state of neglect. This marvel of the past remains a sad monument to decay and the inability to make use of such a valuable asset: visitors nonetheless visit from the outside, hoping that one day in the not-too-distant future they will reopen.
Sciacca’s coastline is a succession of sandy shores washed by crystal-clear water. One beach within walking distance of the historic centre is the Tonnara beach, a good compromise between beautiful sea and shops and amenities within reach.
Here are the five most beautiful beaches in Sciacca (the first three to the east of the centre, the last two to the west):
With a rental car you can venture further and explore the Agrigento coastline in search of your favourite beach. We recommend the enchanting Scala dei Turchi beach, which stretches against a marl cliff, a particular type of white rock that feels cool to the touch. It’s somewhat distant (about 50 minutes by car) but worth the trip.
Other beaches not to miss around Sciacca are Porto Palo di Menfi and the other beaches of the Foce del Fiume Belice and Adjacent Dunes reserve.
Sciacca and its surroundings offer excellent accommodation options, with a wide choice of residences, holiday homes, B&Bs and hotels to suit all needs: from simple family-run establishments to exclusive hotels furnished in Moorish style.
The average price of hotels in Sciacca is generally more affordable than other Sicilian resorts: why not treat yourself to something special for once?
We offer a selection of hotels at Sciacca to suit all categories of travellers. The most booked by tourists are the sea-facing hotels, often right on the beach. If you want to play it safe, choose one of the following: they are among the most booked hotels in Sciacca, sorted by number of reviews.
If you prefer space, privacy and the ability to prepare your own meals to a hotel holiday, book a holiday home at Sciacca. We recommend a few below, but in this case we advise you to book early because houses and apartments for rent at Sciacca are in high demand.
The easiest way to reach Sciacca is to fly to Trapani (about 100 km away) or Palermo (120 km away) and hire a car at the airport.
Direct buses connect Sciacca to Agrigento and other parts of southern Sicily, but getting around by public transport can be difficult.
What's the weather at Sciacca? Below are the temperatures and the weather forecast at Sciacca for the next few days.
Sciacca is located in the province of Agrigento, around 60 kilometres from the provincial capital, heading northwards along the coast.
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